Yesterday we asked readers network-wide to vote their choices for the first 10 slots in this year’s entry draft. The results are in; which teams landed which players?

The Top 10

1. Colorado Avalanche: Seth Jones. There was a strong push by Nathan MacKinnon in what most readers see as a two horse race; in the end the potential franchise defenceman won out.

2. Florida Panthers: Nathan MacKinnon. Florida adds a dynamic centre who likely would have been the first overall pick last summer.

3. Tampa Bay Lightning: Jonathan Drouin. While there are rumours that the Lightning will go off the board a little and take a chance on Valeri Nichushkin, the voters here play it safe, drafting Jonathan Drouin, the final member of the consensus upper-tier in this year’s draft.

4. Nashville Predators: Aleksander Barkov. No surprise here either; the big centre had a stellar season in Finland and will become a cornerstone piece in Nashville.

5. Carolina Hurricanes: Valeri Nichushkin. Nichushkin was the first player to really elicit a range of reaction – some had him ranked first overall; others outside the top-10 entirely. Ultimately he goes to Carolina with the fifth overall pick.

6. Calgary Flames: Sean Monahan. Calgary is expected to take a big centre, and Monahan certainly qualifies. He is an excellent prospect with a wide range of skills and won a three-way race against Lindholm and Nurse.

7. Edmonton Oilers: Elias Lindholm. This was the single-tightest vote on the board, with Lindholm just squeaking past Nurse in voting. Edmonton adds a high-quality centre, but not size, with this pick.

8. Buffalo Sabres: Darnell Nurse. Nurse falls to the eighth spot, narrowly behind Lindholm but ahead of Shinkaruk by a mile. Buffalo adds a massive defenceman who can play the game and brings snarl.

9. New Jersey Devils: Hunter Shinkaruk. New Jersey had a lot of options here and this was by no means unanimous, but Shinkaruk – the smallish WHL winger known for speed and goal-scoring – was the final choice of our readers.

10. Dallas Stars: Rasmus Ristolainen. Ristolainen ranked significantly higher than 10th overall on some charts, and captures the final spot in our top-10, but not easily. He faced significant challenges from a number of players just outside – in particular Nikita Zadorov, Bo Horvat and Max Domi.

Selections 11-20

Unlike yesterday, today there will be no ranking of the players involved; they are presented in alphabetical order. The scouting reports are my own and are intended as summaries of other sources, including TSN, The Hockey News, Hockey Prospectus, Future Considerations as well as others.

Pavel Buchnevich (KHL: 12GP, 1-1-2). Hands and hockey sense stand out as superb, and he certainly has top-six talent in the NHL. His skating gets mixed reviews – Future Considerations loves that part of his game, but Corey Pronman quotes one scout who describes it as only average. The KHL factor is another consideration, as is his lack of bulk. This is a player who could go anywhere in the draft: Corey Pronman has him at 17, while he doesn’t crack the top-100 of The Hockey News.

Andre Burakovsky (SWE2: 43GP, 4-7-11). The 6’1” Burakovsky gets top marks for his vision in the offensive zone and his skating, and he’s seen as a player with a potentially massive offensive upside. His physical game is hit and miss, and his defensive positioning could apparently be improved upon.

Max Domi (OHL: 64GP, 39-48-87). Smallish winger is an “offensive dynamo” and gets pegged by The Hockey News as a power forward despite generally being listed at 5’9” or 5’10” because he plays such a fearless game (he’s also expected to play at 200 pounds or more at the NHL level). His effort level is questioned by some, and Future Considerations says that “self-control and maturity are still a work in progress.”

Adam Erne (QMJHL: 68GP, 28-44-72). The winger is a good skater, he’s strong on the puck, and he has goal-scoring ability. He isn’t seen as a strong offensive player otherwise, and he isn’t a high-end player in any category, but he has a well-rounded skillset. One scout The Hockey News quoted indicated that fitness might be an issue right now, but that he had potential to be even better if he his conditioning improved.

Zachary Fucale (QMJHL: 45-5-3, 0.909 SV%). The less-heralded teammate of Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin is still without question the consensus top goalie of the 2013 Draft. He has solid size and is seen as positionally sound and economical rather than flashy. Was a first-team QMJHL all-star.

Frederik Gauthier (QMJHL: 62GP, 22-38-60). A 6’5” centre who skates well for his size, Gautheir gets good grades as a defensive forward and an intelligent player. What he lacks is a willingness to play a tough physical game, and his offence is open to question.

Robert Hagg (SWE Jr.: 28GP, 11-13-24). A 6’2” defenceman who also played 27 games in Sweden’s men’s league (picking up one assist), Hagg is a high-end skater with excellent vision and passing ability, a hard shot and a competent physical game. His own-zone work gets mixed reviews.

Ryan Hartman (OHL: 56GP, 23-37-60). Hartman plays a complete game on right wing: he hits, he scores and he defends. An above average skater, the only things keeping Hartman from going earlier are a combination of a) below average size (5’11”, 180 pounds) for such a physical player and b) questions about how his offensive ceiling is in the NHL.

Bo Horvat (OHL: 67GP, 32-28-60). Horvat’s trending upward since the NHL Numbers consensus rankings because he can do it all. He’s tough, plays a 200-foot game, scores goals and skates, too. The only question is how high is ceiling is offensively.

Morgan Klimchuk (WHL: 72GP, 36-40-76). A good offensive player who puts as much effort in on the backcheck as he does while scoring. Klimchuk is a good skater, can pass and shoot with equal ability and thinks the game well at both ends of the ice. On the downside, the left wing isn’t overly big and doesn’t add much physically.

Curtis Lazar (WHL: 72GP, 38-23-61). Lazar gets high marks for character and defensive play; he’s also seen as good skater and a safe pick. The question is how much offence he will generate in the NHL, because despite strong goal-scoring numbers he is seen by some as a player who lacks the creativity to be a top-six forward in the NHL. Read more at Oilers Nation.

Artturi Lehkonen (FIN: 45GP, 14-16-30). Lehkonen is not only a pure goal-scorer with fantastic numbers, but scouts rave about his hockey sense. He plays either wing, has good vision but is primarily a shooter, and despite being undersized (roughly 5’10”, 155 pounds) he has plenty of grit to his game. Corey Pronman notes he suffered from concussion problems this season.

Anthony Mantha (QMJHL: 67GP, 50-39-89). The 6’4” winger skates well and is a one-shot scorer, but he doesn’t play the physical game scouts would like to see. He’s also at the old end of the draft curve (he missed being eligible for the 2012 Draft by less than a weak) and outside of his shot he’s not seen as overly creative offensively by the consensus.

Samuel Morin (QMJHL: 46GP, 4-12-16). Morin is listed at either 6’6” or 6’7”, depending on the source, and aside from the fact that he’s massive the most remarkable thing about him is that he can skate. His offensive upside gets mixed reviews – the point totals suggest he’ll strictly be a stay-at-home guy in the NHL – and so does his hockey sense, with some praising is defensive game and others questioning his positioning. Plays a physical brand of hockey.

Josh Morrissey (WHL: 70GP, 15-32-47). Size is the issue here – the WHL defenceman is listed at 5’11”, 182 pounds. Otherwise there is a lot to like: he’s smart, he’s an excellent skater, his offensive tools are good and he relishes playing a physical game.

Mirco Muller (WHL: 63GP, 6-25-31). Jumping between scouting reports, I started feeling whiplash – there simply is no consensus on this guy’s ultimate ceiling and there is significant disagreement over how good he is now; some love him, some don’t like him at all. What is known is that he’s a 6’4” defender with at least solid puck skills, good skating, smarts, and the need to bulk up. Some project him as high-end complete defenceman, others say he’ll be steady in his own end but nothing special.

Ryan Pulock (WHL: 61GP, 14-31-45). Nobody doubts his elite shot, and Pulock has a strong puck-moving abilities, too. The trouble is his size and skating both fall into the average range, and there are mixed reports on his defensive play, which seems to be solid but unexceptional.

Kerby Rychel (OHL: 68GP, 40-47-87). A power winger with decent size, good bloodlines (his father is former NHL’er Warren Rychel), a strong physical game and outstanding scoring totals, Rychel is somehow not in the upper tier of the 2013 Draft Class. A big part of the reason is skating: it’s often criticized and seen as only average-ish. Beyond that, he’s more of a meat-and-potatoes generator of offence than overly creative, which has some wondering how high his ceiling is in the NHL.

Shea Theodore (WHL: 71GP, 19-31-50). A 6’2” defenceman who patterns his game after players like Erik Karlsson and Mike Green, Theodore’s skating, passing and shot give him the potential to be an impact NHL defenceman. He is, however, likely some distance away from realizing that potential – he lacks physical strength and his defensive game is a work in progress.

Alexander Wennberg (SWE2: 46GP, 14-18-32). 6’1” forward can play either wing or centre; he skates well, has good offensive tools and hockey sense that makes him both a threat to score and a good defensive forward. He needs to add bulk to his frame.

Nikita Zadorov (OHL: 63GP, 6-19-25). Another big defenceman (6’4”, 200 pounds according to the NHL site; most media outlets list him at 6’5”, 230 pounds), Zadorov is seen as a bit of a project. He’s a dominant physical player and extremely strong, and he fares well enough in other areas – he skates well given his size, makes a reasonable first pass – to be of real interest. The trouble is that while he has a lot of tools they haven’t come together yet; he’s raw defensively and lacks high-end offensive upside. If it all comes together, though, he could be an elite shutdown defender.

Valentin Zykov (QMJHL: 67GP, 40-35-75). A power winger with significant bulk for his age (he’s generally listed at either 6’ or 6’1” but 205+ pounds), Zykov is known for a willingness to go to the net with the puck, win battles along the boards, and backcheck defensively. Given that his skating gets middling marks, he’s essentially the reverse of the traditional Russian stereotype.

Voting

Jonathan Willis is a freelance writer.
He currently works for Oilers Nation, Sportsnet, the Edmonton Journal and Bleacher Report.
He's co-written three books and worked for myriad websites, including Grantland, ESPN, The Score, and Hockey Prospectus. He was previously the founder and managing editor of Copper & Blue.

I get it, you're a rival fan who hates and undervalues Gagner. But really, your case is weak.

They have the same face off percentage

Couturier:43.94%
Gagner: 43.86%

Not that face-off percentages make a big difference. if a player takes 20 face-offs in a game and wins 52% (a good percentage) thats 10.4 wins. If another player takes 20 face-offs and wins 42% (bad) that's 8.4 wins. Fairly marginal stuff.

Sam Gagner was -6 on a team with goals for/against of -9
Sean Couturier was -8 on a team with goals for/against of -8

For the record Gagner was +5 last season when his team was -27

Gagner pro rates points to 65
Couturier pro rates points to 27

I know Gagner is older than Couturier. I am in fact a big fan of Couturier but it is fairly obvious that he most likely will just be a third line center. Gagner is a good second line center. He's not the fastest but if you think he's slow then you aren't watching or aren't intelligent. Couturier, by the way has always been known for skating not being one of his strong suits.

It's just my opinion but I think Gagners days of 40 point seasons are behind him and he will hover in the 55-60 range. I also know that players don't peak at 24 and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes satisfactory at defence.

Anyways, if there was a draft pick now for Gagner or Couturier...based on today's facts for each player...Couturier would be chosen more often than not...and I agree.

But, Gagner does have value in that he scores 40 plus pts in average. I would want and need a 2nd line centre to put up at least 65 plus in an 82 game season...consistently...plus play well defensively enough.

However, Couturier is not way ahead of Gagner in stats just yet. He only has had one full 48 game season.

That being said, I believe the Oil would have to make a two player (Gagner & say...Gernat or Hartikainen) plus the #7 type deal for Philly to even start to want to deal their #11 and Couturier....at the least.

Without trading Ganer anyways, the Oilers can choose a Couturier type centre player at #7 wgo have more grit, good faceoff skills, and better skating too....though they are not as big as he is. Those two can be either one of Monahan or Horvat

I get it, you're a rival fan who hates and undervalues Gagner. But really, your case is weak.

They have the same face off percentage

Couturier:43.94%
Gagner: 43.86%

Not that face-off percentages make a big difference. if a player takes 20 face-offs in a game and wins 52% (a good percentage) thats 10.4 wins. If another player takes 20 face-offs and wins 42% (bad) that's 8.4 wins. Fairly marginal stuff.

Sam Gagner was -6 on a team with goals for/against of -9
Sean Couturier was -8 on a team with goals for/against of -8

For the record Gagner was +5 last season when his team was -27

Gagner pro rates points to 65
Couturier pro rates points to 27

I know Gagner is older than Couturier. I am in fact a big fan of Couturier but it is fairly obvious that he most likely will just be a third line center. Gagner is a good second line center. He's not the fastest but if you think he's slow then you aren't watching or aren't intelligent. Couturier, by the way has always been known for skating not being one of his strong suits.

It's just my opinion but I think Gagners days of 40 point seasons are behind him and he will hover in the 55-60 range. I also know that players don't peak at 24 and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes satisfactory at defence.

Sam Gagner was playing weak competition and was outshot and outscored.

He started more than 50% of his shifts in the Ozone and still got outshot and outscored.

Couturier played the toughest competition and outshot them.

Couturier started only 36 percent of his shifts in the Ozone.

If Couturier was able to play the soft parade, start most of his shifts in the Ozone and got the PP time Gagner does he would outscore him AND the opposition.

Man nothing pisses me off more than when people say "should have drafted him over this guy" what kind of argument is that? Sure in some cases it is the scouting staff but come on! If people were really so clever they wouldn't have waited to pick up Weber or Subban in the second round, Benn in the fifth round, or Datsyuk in the seventh round. Other than the top 5-10 picks, the draft is an absolute crap shoot.

Man nothing pisses me off more than when people say "should have drafted him over this guy" what kind of argument is that? Sure in some cases it is the scouting staff but come on! If people were really so clever they wouldn't have waited to pick up Weber or Subban in the second round, Benn in the fifth round, or Datsyuk in the seventh round. Other than the top 5-10 picks, the draft is an absolute crap shoot.

Man nothing pisses me off more than when people say "should have drafted him over this guy" what kind of argument is that? Sure in some cases it is the scouting staff but come on! If people were really so clever they wouldn't have waited to pick up Weber or Subban in the second round, Benn in the fifth round, or Datsyuk in the seventh round. Other than the top 5-10 picks, the draft is an absolute crap shoot.

Some teams have a great track record in drafting actual NHL players and others don't.

The teams that do, are very successful while the teams that don't, finish 30th, 30th, 29th and 24th.

Man nothing pisses me off more than when people say "should have drafted him over this guy" what kind of argument is that? Sure in some cases it is the scouting staff but come on! If people were really so clever they wouldn't have waited to pick up Weber or Subban in the second round, Benn in the fifth round, or Datsyuk in the seventh round. Other than the top 5-10 picks, the draft is an absolute crap shoot.

Yeah....I'm always a little puzzled when some GM is a genius for taking a Datsyuk type in the 7th round......because what this really means is that that same GM and 29 others PASSED on the guy for SIX rounds........IDIOTS!!!

I get it, you're a rival fan who hates and undervalues Gagner. But really, your case is weak.

They have the same face off percentage

Couturier:43.94%
Gagner: 43.86%

Not that face-off percentages make a big difference. if a player takes 20 face-offs in a game and wins 52% (a good percentage) thats 10.4 wins. If another player takes 20 face-offs and wins 42% (bad) that's 8.4 wins. Fairly marginal stuff.

Sam Gagner was -6 on a team with goals for/against of -9
Sean Couturier was -8 on a team with goals for/against of -8

For the record Gagner was +5 last season when his team was -27

Gagner pro rates points to 65
Couturier pro rates points to 27

I know Gagner is older than Couturier. I am in fact a big fan of Couturier but it is fairly obvious that he most likely will just be a third line center. Gagner is a good second line center. He's not the fastest but if you think he's slow then you aren't watching or aren't intelligent. Couturier, by the way has always been known for skating not being one of his strong suits.

It's just my opinion but I think Gagners days of 40 point seasons are behind him and he will hover in the 55-60 range. I also know that players don't peak at 24 and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes satisfactory at defence.

You are missing all of the key stuff for evaluating players as points and FO% are only going to tell part of the story.

In the 2013 season Gagner's +/-60On was -1.02, off was -.37. Gagner is costing the Oilers by being on the ice, despite his '40 pts'. He is getting strong linemates, faces weaker competition, gets cozy zone starts and is getting his head kicked in. The Oilers have even tried hiding him on the wing (where his defensive deficiencies are less glaring), but the stats show Gagner is actually getting worse, not better. A team with a screaming need for a scoring center has determined that whatever Gagner is, he isn't a good scoring center. If he can't be a #1 or #2, and he can't do the checking job of being a #3 or #4, you have run out of spots to put Mr 40pts.

In contrast, Couturier has weak linemates, gets tough zone starts, faces tougher competition, and is driving the play. Couturier has in particular showed that he has the skill-set to check the elite (again, see my previous posting for the link to his complete advanced stat line - including how the elite players like Malkin fare against him)

Factor in that he is younger, cheaper, bigger, and I see no reason why Gagner is even in the conversation as a trade asset for Couturier.

The best thing the Oilers could do is flip Gagner for ANYTHING.

What they will do however is re-sign him to a 4-5 year deal for North of $4.5M a season, making him untradeable, and locking in the mediocrity for another generation.

You are missing all of the key stuff for evaluating players as points and FO% are only going to tell part of the story.

In the 2013 season Gagner's +/-60On was -1.02, off was -.37. Gagner is costing the Oilers by being on the ice, despite his '40 pts'. He is getting strong linemates, faces weaker competition, gets cozy zone starts and is getting his head kicked in. The Oilers have even tried hiding him on the wing (where his defensive deficiencies are less glaring), but the stats show Gagner is actually getting worse, not better. A team with a screaming need for a scoring center has determined that whatever Gagner is, he isn't a good scoring center. If he can't be a #1 or #2, and he can't do the checking job of being a #3 or #4, you have run out of spots to put Mr 40pts.

In contrast, Couturier has weak linemates, gets tough zone starts, faces tougher competition, and is driving the play. Couturier has in particular showed that he has the skill-set to check the elite (again, see my previous posting for the link to his complete advanced stat line - including how the elite players like Malkin fare against him)

Factor in that he is younger, cheaper, bigger, and I see no reason why Gagner is even in the conversation as a trade asset for Couturier.

The best thing the Oilers could do is flip Gagner for ANYTHING.

What they will do however is re-sign him to a 4-5 year deal for North of $4.5M a season, making him untradeable, and locking in the mediocrity for another generation.

Having Gagner signed at 4.5M per season for 5 years is the type of scenario that keeps me awake at night. I wasn't kidding when I wrote earlier that he was an overpay last season. Sam's value is no better then a 2nd round draft.

Last season he's playing for the biggest contract of his career and he flat-out stunk most nights. We 18-20M more in his pocket every Oiler fan will despise him by the time his contract expires.

Having Gagner signed at 4.5M per season for 5 years is the type of scenario that keeps me awake at night. I wasn't kidding when I wrote earlier that he was an overpay last season. Sam's value is no better then a 2nd round draft.

Last season he's playing for the biggest contract of his career and he flat-out stunk most nights. We 18-20M more in his pocket every Oiler fan will despise him by the time his contract expires.

The funny part is guys like Citizen David still won't get-it!

Sam Gagner would fetch a mid first rounder and a good prospect IF he was traded for non-NHL talent. Want to know why I suspect this?

Turris fetched David Rundblad (first rounder) and a second round draft pick

Andrew Cogliano fetched a second round draft pick

Cody Hodgson fetched Zack Kassian. Both former first rounders.

Lots of Gagner hate going on. I would be the first to trade Gagner while his trade value is at its peak. I would take Couturier over Gagner 7 days a week. But to say Gagner would only fetch a second round pick at best is laughable. Gagner is in the same category of the aforementioned players.

Vanek is younger and better than Cammalleri, but his contract is worse.

Myers is about the same age (a year older?) than Backlund, both play difficult key positions (C and D), but Myers had a monster rookie season and then has slowly regressed since, while Backlund has been on a steady if slow upwards trajectory. Myers is on a big ticket contract already, while Backlund is still going to be on very affordable deals.

Backlund could be an average or slightly better #2, but if Myers can get his game together he could still be a dominant #1 blueliner. I think the homerun upside is with getting Myers.

Sliding from 22 to the 2nd rnd hurts though.

All in all, I would call it a solid trade for Calgary if it goes through, but also one that would be sure to ignite the fanbase..

You quickly shoot down the Philly/Oiler trade idea, yet this is a good trade to consider, of course it's a good idea if you're a flames fan. Sabers would be out of there freaking minds if they did that. I would do that deal in a heart beat if I was the flames...maybe they could fleece somebody for a change

You quickly shoot down the Philly/Oiler trade idea, yet this is a good trade to consider, of course it's a good idea if you're a flames fan. Sabers would be out of there freaking minds if they did that. I would do that deal in a heart beat if I was the flames...maybe they could fleece somebody for a change

A fair point. I was certainly not evaluating the deal from Buffalo's perspective.

Putting all the Gagner vs. Couturier stats talk aside for a second, can we not agree that there is no way Philly will add another contract that is sure to exceed 3.5 mil/year?

Even with buying out Briere and putting Pronger on LTIR, they are in no position to send an ELC out the door in exchange for the kind of money that Samwise and his agent are seeking.

If MacT does sign Gags at a reasonable cap hit/term, then I think a deal involving Gags and Schenn ($3.1 and one year remaining) would be far more plausible than one involving Couturier.

I assume that's what MacT was talking about when saying signing Gagner was a priority. A reasonable cap hit and term make him an asset (even if his defensive stats are suspect, he contributes points and competes), if he gets done at 5 x 5 mil/year, then he's a liability (*cough* Ales Hemsky *cough*), that would be immovable for anything but a bag of pucks and would certainly mean there wouldn't be room for all of RNH, Schultz Jr., Yak, stud D-man they want to acquire, and this year's first rounder in the long term.